freddo90 wrote:
Hi,
Personal
25 year-old British male. Ethnicity mixed white/chinese (duno if that matters?). Been a school governor for a year, did charity funding in my gap year, and played university sport, but nothing notable since then. No extra languages.
Academics
Got a 2.1 in PPE (Philosophy, Politics, Economics) from a Russel Group UK University (was quite low - think 60% on the dot).
Just did my GMAT, got 690 (Q-73%, V-80%, don't remember the actual scores). Could definitely do better as I was very light on prep. Got 730 on the GMAT test prep software the night before the exam (Q-73%, V-97%), so know I could improve.
Work Experience
Used to work for Amazon for 2 years on a Grad scheme. Now work for a successful 7yr old startup (Marketcap - $1.5bn), as a business analyst. Hoping to be promoted to product manager in the near future. Have been there for just gone a year.
Target Schools
Insead - (would have to improve my 2nd language, but have a good grounding from High School)
IE Madrid,
Cambridge Judge,
Any chance at something like Kellogg? I'm keen to keep it to 1 year, but Kellogg sounds amazing.
Any hints/tips? Specifically whether I should redo the GMAT to get into my target schools (is 700+ that much better than 690?). Also, whether I'd need to wait for my promotion to stand any chance.
Your work experience is interesting and will certainly help you get in, but you are younger than the average for the European schools so you would benefit from working another year and getting a promotion. I would also recommend retaking the GMAT if you think you can add 30-40 points. You really want to have the GMAT counteract your less than ideal performance in undergrad, so the higher you do the better.
If you get 730-750 on GMAT and have a strong story, Kellogg may be in the cards for you. The 80% range for work experience is 3-7 years, so you are in the range, just on the lower end. Typically consultants have fewer years but someone with a job like yours would benefit from not being at the low end of the range. I would recommend one more year, but not longer. You certainly could apply this year if everything else is perfect, but don't give Kellogg a shot until you hit 730+. Their median is 724 and you have a low GPA, so its not worth applying with a 690, your GPA and only a few years of work experience.
Good luck! Send me a note if you want more specific advice on what to do between now and when you apply next year to improve your profile
scott@personalmbacoach.com
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10 Aug 2015, 05:44
